NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas both provide mapping data to GPS manufacturers, online mapping services, and generally any other application that might need street-level mapping data. The conventional wisdom has always been that NAVTEQ is "better", but more expensive, and TeleAtlas not so good, but cheaper. Here is some more specific data:
- In general NAVTEQ has more current mapping data in the United States. Want to see for yourself? Google Maps uses NAVTEQ mapping data, but Google's GMap Pedometer site uses TeleAtlas maps (no doubt the result of NAVTEQ's unwillingness to let Google use the open API).
Now Check out a view of the same area of New Jersey via Gmaps (using TeleAtlas data) http://www.sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/?centerX=-74.03115749359131&c... , then checkout the same map using Google Maps (NAVTEQ): http://maps.google.com/maps?q=hoboken,+nj&spn=0.015104,0.027479&hl=en
Clearly the NAVTEQ map is more up-to-date. Try it out yourself using your own address.
- NAVTEQ is generally considered better, so why does anyone use TeleAtlas? No surprise here, TeleAtlas is cheaper.
- When Google's Pedometer site recently switched to TeleAtlas data, it triggered a lengthy forum discussion about how much better NAVTEQ was. If you read through the postings, you'll see a lot of examples of data missing from TeleAtlas' mapping data in North America
- In my own testing, I found TeleAtlas mapping data was less accurate than NAVTEQ on several occasions.
- If popularity is any measure, then we can definitely conclude NAVTEQ is the better option: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MSN Maps, and MapQuest all use NAVTEQ.
- NAVTEQ is a US based company, while TeleAtlas is based in Europe. So while NAVTEQ is definately the better choice for North America, TeleAtlas is better for Europe.
- I spoke with another expert on mapping data today, and he told me that TeleAtlas is improving their data every day, and it's entirely possible that TeleAtlas will someday be the better option. TomTom is the fastest growing GPS manufacturer in the U.S., and they're using TeleAtlas. Garmin and Magellan are using NAVTEQ, so clearly Magellan and Garmin have made a decision that the extra money for NAVTEQ is worth it. Of course, TomTom is a dutch firm, so for their European customers, TeleAtlas is a better choice.
One of the most common complaints I hear about GPS navigation is "it took me on a crazy route", or "my destination wasn't even on the map!". These complaints are always the result of mapping data, and really don't have much to do with the GPS unit itself (which is why I almost never point out mapping inaccuracies in my reviews, since all GPS devices using TeleAtlas or NAVTEQ will share the same mapping deficiencies).
NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas will both always have mapping inaccuracies. However, currently NAVTEQ is the better choice (in the USA). I think it speaks well for Magellan and Garmin that they are willing to pay for NAVTEQ mapping data. Frankly, when choosing a navigation device, I can hardly think of anything more important than having current and accurate maps! Until I hear otherwise, I say NAVTEQ is the way to go.
When it comes to maps, I generally think that TeleAtlas and NAVTEQ each have their own credits and debits.
Interesting to note though that while TomTom GO units use TeleAtlas, the RIDER unit (for motorcycles) uses NAVTEQ. Interesting if nothing else.
yes. but yahoo maps beta seems good too because they use both navteq and teleatlas
http://ansiguy.blogspot.com/2006/08/yahoo-maps-beta-released-feature-rich_04.html
The NAVTEQ maps show raods in my neighborhood that don't exist, and roads connecting that don't connect. TeleAtlas is perfect.
stupid.
What kind of article is this? Not a single test was done. You compared one section of New Jersey? It is a shame that the newspapers are dead...anyone can open a website in 10 minutes and be up and running with nonsense such as this site.
Here is a test - and I bet you cannot do it! I bet you anything!
Take the USPS AIS Zip+4 National CD and extract all the addresses in the US. Then run the addresses through a geocoder on these two different set of data. The results will test -
1. the geocoder used
2. the address hit rates - the true data test !
If you can't do this then write to NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas and ask them for these numbers. Having worked at both these companies for years - I have these numbers and the results would shock you. There are actually other data providers out there. Would you be shocked if I told you that another company hit rates were better than these two gorillas?
I agree with Phil. There are no "real test" going on here.
The only way to test data is to test the data and not the data and the different device. NAVTEQ and Teleatlas should submit there data to a third party and have the third party test the individual data sets using the SAME geocoder. I also, like Phil, worked for a couple different companies. I am sorry to say ... we did these test and did not just write reviews with oversized pictures. What was surprising to find was that another data set beat out both these sets using every know USPS addresses- not TIGER addresses...but real world deliverable addresses minus P.O. Boxes.
The second thing to test, after you get hit rates, is how the software interacts with the data.
The third thing is the driving experience.
I agree with Phil- this site needs to not just post pictures and a few sentences. You might as well as scan in the Garmin brochure and use Photoshop to add some pretty buttons.
Not really - this article is almost 3 years old gentlement.
My current opinion is that the two mapping providers are roughly equal in quality. Each one has a different philosophy of how they keep maps current, but the more important issue these days is how the GPS companies compile the data and how many attributes they use.
It isn't so much the mapping data as it is the directional computation engine. Your review above correctly notes that mapquest, yahoo, and google all use navteq data. So, then, why do mapquest and yahoo give longer routings on the same address to address than does google maps? Try it yourself.
Start out at 3800 n. lake shore dr. in chicago, il (60613) and go to 130 e. randolph in chicago, il (60601). the destination is one of chicago's oldest, most famous buildings -- the Prudential Building. Note that mapquest and yahoo maps take you a slower route and also have you end up across the street on a divided 6 lane road with ramp up the middle as your destination (puts you on the wrong side of the street from your intended destination). Google maps on the other hand puts you squarely where you want to be -- on the correct side of the street -- and it takes you on a route that gets you there 5 minutes faster. Yet, all three of these services use Navteq. So, maybe the problem isn't Navteq vs. Tele Atlas?
Hello! I am debating the issue of map accuracies. I am a truck driver and I use both TomTom and Garmin. They do both have their inaccuracies, but I prefer tomtom because of their features and customizing of their unit since I use the blue tooth feature with my phone which it works quite well. If TomTom did ever switch their mapping data to Navteq they probably would sell more units. I think both mapping data is probably about the same. The only problem I run into with both units that It does not have routing for larger vehicles. Their is a big market out their for truck drivers when ever which company introduces a unit for that market which is portable. The rumor is that tomtom is already working on it. I have a drivers ask me everday how about the units and how they route larger vehicles, all I do is set for the fastest time. If tomtom introduces the software for truck drivers that could be downloaded or to be purcheased on a CD. I will spread the word out to fellow drivers. Thanks.
I posted yesterday I forgot to
mention that I don't see any different in routing if you put in fast route. I see more mistakes on Navteq than Teleatlas, though I forgot to mention I drive for a living(truck driver). I think I would be the perfect canidate for testing these gps units. Thx.
Actually, Google Maps use Teleatlas data for the UK (and most of Europe), but NavTeq for the US and Canada
Hi, TeleAtlas just updated their maps Dec 20, 2006 and claim to be the most up to date maps in North America. I use a TomTom 910 (TeleAtlas)and for me it gives me better and more accurate results than NAVTEQ (Google Maps). My current TomTom is using the old maps so the new maps that they just released will even be better. These are being sent to me free of charge and the only thing I paid was shipping. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and NAVTEQ has no clue where a lot of places are including my own house. My TomTom (TeleAtlas) works great with no errors as of current. I also travelled across Europe last October and the TomTom using TeleAtlas is by far the superior Navagation system over there. Just because NAVTEQ is North American don't assume they are better because they are not.
Tomtom had to give Navteq a piece of the cake by means of data for the Rider product, to avoid a patent infringement lawsuit
I live in Israel. Is there a mapping SD or CD which includes routing information for the Nuvi 660 for Israel?
I live in Southern Ontario, CANADA. As far as the area around where I live, TeleAtlas has more accurate maps compared to NAVTEQ. Some streets/roads are not continuous due to railway or other blockade. So far teleatlas can accurately show where the discontinuity is but Navteq just shows a continous street.
Well its strange-Teleatlas can find my home address but Navteq isn't even close to my neighborhood!!
Good post fletch,
Do you have any knowledge about how costly or time consuming it is for PNDs or in-dash nav manufacturers to switch between the 2 data providers TA and NVT?
Well - Tele Atlas has coverage of my street/address, and has had it for quite awhile (I still have some Garmin Maps from last century, back when they used Tele Atlas), but NavTeq still doesn't have it. This isn't in some rural backwoods place - it's in the suburbs of San Diego...
Try zooming in to Lima, Peru on Mapquest, Google Maps, and Yahoo Maps. See a little bit of a difference? If they all use the same map data, how come Mapquest is the only one that even shows streets at all?
(Regarding my region:)
Well, in contrast to Teleatlas, Navteq seems to be up-to-date.
BUT anyway I've detected a big mistake in the map for my region. I couldn't find my home location because the street has a completely wrong name. It has been confused with another street from another town near mine. So there are wrongly two streets with the same name in the same commune. That's probably the reason why the postman made confusion in the past.
Therefore my conclusion: DRAW!
Did you actually compare the two mapping data base first instead saying some fool words? Give us evidence before you post, Fletcher.
I think this is all funny in light of the fact that while TomTom is in talks to buy TeleAtlas, Garmin comes out of nowhere and trumps TomTom's offer by a few hundred million bucks. I firmly believe if Garmin does win in purchasing TeleAtlas, then we'll soon see TeleAtlas maps as superior to NAVTEQ in both North America and Europe.
I just bought a TOMTOM ONE XL (December 2007) and tested-out 3 models of Garmin (Nuvi 250, 360 and the 700 series I think). All three Garmins did not have a whole part of my neighborhood which has been around for more than 7 years. The TOMTOM had the neighborhood and even listed in the POI's a restaurant nearby that opened some time in 2007. If parts of neighborhoods are missing for the Garmin, who knows how many others are missing. I bought this for travelling, therefore I need accurate maps.
I noticed maps.yahoo.com credits both Navteq and Tele Atlas.
Did something change here?
I've found Tele Atlas data to be more efficient.
.........................
"I noticed maps.yahoo.com credits both Navteq and Tele Atlas.
Did something change here?"
YahooMaps and just about every other internet mapper uses a combo of data. They might use Navteq's street layer but Tele Atlas' POI's.
Well I must say tele atlas blows navteq away in many ways.
I Bought a mio brand gps last year which uses teleatlas as tom tom does.
My parents bought a garmin around the same time, well we/i live way out in the middle of nowhere tennessee and also do alot of state to state traveling, i mounted both my mio w/teleatlas and the garmin with navteq side by side on my windshield and set off on a 700 mile trip to my other home in polk city florida.
I must say the mio w/teleatlas makes the garmin w/navteq look like a kids toy and i mean this to as so much the drawing of the maps/hwys while doing a live map drive look as though they were drawn with a crayola crayon on the garmin while my mio w/teleatlas is very professional looking and extremly detailed and even showng little un named dirt roads on the side of the main hiways that may lead to no where and are only 20 feet long. well you may not need these un named roads but they are great for landmarks and just goes to show how detailed tele atlas was/is in their mapping scheme.
My mio shows little roads etc that the garmin dont even knows exsist.
I have found that TeleAtlas maps have a 5 year old sudivision listed near me that is not on the Navteq maps. There are also areas that are listed in the Navteq maps that are not listed on the TeleAtlas maps. A TomTom unit with TeleAtlas maps has given incorrect routes and has has asked me to turn right when I should have turned left, as well as other errors. I used a friend's TomTom to test the routing. I have 4 Garmin units with Navteq 2008 maps in all of them. I agree that the maps are important but the routing engine is even more important. What good is listing a street on a map if the route cannot get you there. As far as the previous user's comment goes, I have found that the Garmins with Navteq maps will show all of those "20 foot long" roads if the zoom level is set correctly. Typically, the Garmin Nav. systems are set to autozoom based on the distance from your destination. The Garmin autozoom will take off the little roads on a map to avoid clutter and aid in the ease of use of the map. If you just zoom you will see that all of the little sideroads off of a highway are shown.
I bought a TT One XL back in Dec (with TA maps). It seemed to be a draw in Northern VA with NavTeq/Google Maps. Since that time, I have submitted many MapShare updates directly on the TT...and submitted some feedback directly to TeleAtlas...Many of these updates now show in TeleAtlas maps...but not Google Maps / Navteq. So...in Northern VA, I'd say TeleAtlas. I'm actually impressed with the response time in adding new roads which were reported to TA.
I tried your comparison of the two maps makers. Using my address, the Tele Atlas map shows my street continuing over a 30 foot cliff at the end of my block and through the private lane of the property below to join with another street as a continuous road.It also does not show any of the side streets around here that have existed for well over 5 years. The Navteq map gets it right; however, it does not show a new street created in the past year. This may be because the local municipality does not accept responsibility for the new street yet. Something to take into consideration maybe? By the way, I live in Ontario, Canada.
I've been driving a limo for a living,have bought 2 Tomtom One so far 2nd& 3rd ed. mainly because its cheaper than Garmin which uses Navteq Maps.The TT One 3rd ed. still doesn't have some new street's names which have been in the area for quite some time 3-5 years(the street's names have been changed and some modification to the road )Here is the correct one which is on Google maps, Yahoo maps as well
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl .Compare it to the old map data in my TT One and TeleAtlas maps http://mapinsight.teleatlas.com/mapfeedback/index.php
The street's name has been changed from E. Mallard Creek Church rd. to John Kirk drive for almost 3 years and Teleatlas still don't have it.
here another one/links The correct map/Google map http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl and the wrong one /TT One+ Teleatlas maps http://mapinsight.teleatlas.com/mapfeedback/index.php Notice how one part of the street E Mallard Creek Church rd. has changed to new name John Kirk drive and part of Marlynn Drive has changed to E Mallard Creek Church rd.
I've used both the TomTom one 3rd edition and the Garmin Nuvi 200, and I have to say that the TomTom has not tried to send me down a road that doesn't exist, while the Nuvi has done so twice. The Nuvi has the NT 2008 maps and the TomTom has the latest as of April 2008 with MapShare updates set to "verified only."
Between TomTom putting out map updates quarterly vs yearly updates for Garmin, and the instant update you get with MapShare, TomTom seems to have gained the edge on accuracy, at least here in the south central US. TomTom may not have some of the new roads, but they've had all the new addresses I could find, and they seem better at knowing what roads don't exist. Garmin seems intent on routing me down planned (but non-existent) roads in my area, and other than tapping "Detour" each time, I don't seem to have any way to permanently mark the road as non-existent. At least on the TomTom I can tap "Map correction" and "Block Road" and it won't try to use it again. Furthermore, MapShare sends the change to TomTom when I connect the GPS to my computer, and other TomTom GPS users can get the update from that point forward, just like I get their updates. This is a very powerful map update paradigm that Garmin will have to work much harder to compete with.
Perhaps the 2009 map update from Garmin will help, but there still needs to be some way to make corrections between annual map updates, especially when the "2008" update only included NavTeq map data up to 2006.
Also the latest NavCore7 seems to me to route just as well as the Nuvi (when the Nuvi is right), although I haven't done any in-depth comparisons like those here.
The troubling thing to me is the idea of relying on the Nuvi when I'm somewhere unfamiliar, when it demonstrates these kinds of errors locally.
If you really want to fool yourself as to which one is most up to date I guess you can believe the crap he says about navtec being more up to date. However just going to the two sites he shows I found that just like my two gps, the telealtlas maps show the remodeling of our roads by our airport from 3-4 yrs ago whereas the navtec is still showing the old roads. The navtec gps uses 2009 maps(garmin) the teleatlas gps uses 2007 maps(Harman Kardon).
I used to work for navteq many years ago. I have to say it was a good company. Picture if you would a person driving down the street marking each and every POI and address and verifying the phone numbers. Thats the lvl of detail that you get from navteq. Teleatlas uses airel maps and there's no personal touch to accuraccy.
One more thing to remember about your GPS. Teleatlas and Navteq supply the data. The manufacturers supply the software and compile the data in their own fashion. Thus its up to the manufacturer to supply the software to drive the data. My Mio device has issues with exiting and entering the freeway. My other car with the Alpine has no issues with the same road on an older map.
Were can I purchase car gps maps of Israel? Which car GPS will support these maps?
If you want a quality map, then go with NAVTEQ. With NAVTEQ data, its been verified by someone in our field office actually physically driving out to the location. On the other hand...tele atlas, all they do keep buying and buying many different sources and just import them into their data with no real quality checks. So yes, teleatlas may have some streets that navteq doesnt have, but it has not been actually verified accurate. We can all keep going on and on about who is better, people saying navteq doesnt have this street and that street. well if you look in my area, teleatlas doesnt have barely anything for our city. I can honestly say they are missing all of the south part of our town, and what they do have for our south part of town, all the streets have very old county street names, i would say they havent updated my area for atleast 5 years.
Interesting,
If I take maps.google.com at the moment, it shows that it is using Tele Atlas map (bottom right corner of the screen).
Teleatlas was willing to sell their maps for less. It's about the money from what I've read.
So this is rather good thing for Tele Atlas as they can probably get more feedback thanks to that...
That's probably correct. Whoever owns them next may benefit.
This is a garbage article! "Clearly the NAVTEQ map is more up-to-date."....WHAT??? They look exactly the same! I'm not promoting one or the other, but if you're going to write an article that compares TeleAtlas and Navteq then leave your bias out of it!
NOTE TO READERS: The article rubbish, look elsewhere for reliable information.
Benjo - this article was published over 2 years ago. If you read any of the new review, you'll see that I now rate NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas as equal in quality.
Can someone please explain why Navteq refuses to provide coverage of Nova Scotia....on their Grand Cherokee models.. and with no promise to this date to do so. My Nav system on a very expensive Jeep is not able to provide me with good service in a major region of Canaa
NAVTEQ does not actually chose what is included with a in-vehicle or hand-held device. The company that is using their mapping data, (in this case Jeep), chooses the update and what areas they want included on the disc. When was your last update?
Jeep has probably chosen a version where the Canadian Provinces are not that updated. (In most cases, the data can be an average of 2-3 behind what the current year is).
If you go to NAVTEQ's website they have a place you can enter mapping inaccuracies and they will fix. (This process can take a minimum of 4 months to show fixed on their website, and possibly a few years to show on a update that works in your vehicle).
Can someone please explain why Navteq refuses to provide coverage of Nova Scotia....on their Grand Cherokee models.. and with no promise to this date to do so. My Nav system on a very expensive Jeep is not able to provide me with good service in a major region of Canada.
watch your spelling please...
I live in southern West Virginia.
I have a Garmin Nuvi 200 with 2009 map, and I have TT One S.
So far the Garmin has shown many more mistakes than the TT. Almost all of the Garmin mistakes have been roads that don't exist (there are at least 4 in my local neighborhood and more that I didn't bother to remember outside this area).
I've found 2 mistakes with the TT. 1 is a side street that connects two roads but the TT has it dead-ended. The TT also is missing the road that I work on, it has been there for 10yrs, the Garmin does show this road but Google and the other online maps don't show it either.
At least with the TT I can fix these problems.
Earlier whoever wrote that Navteq QA's their maps by physically driving the roads is full of bull.
ANUS!
What kind of article is this? Not a single test was done. You compared one section of New Jersey? It is a shame that the newspapers are dead...anyone can open a website in 10 minutes and be up and running with nonsense such as this site.
Here is a test - and I bet you cannot do it! I bet you anything!
Take the USPS AIS Zip+4 National CD and extract all the addresses in the US. Then run the addresses through a geocoder on these two different set of data. The results will test -
1. the geocoder used
2. the address hit rates - the true data test !
If you can't do this then write to NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas and ask them for these numbers. Having worked at both these companies for years - I have these numbers and the results would shock you. There are actually other data providers out there. Would you be shocked if I told you that another company hit rates were better than these two gorillas?
People need to make note of the article date before replying to this article. Google maps quoted as using NAVTEQ may have been true in 2006 but it uses Teleatlas...
And for every error you find in Teleatlas you can find one in NAVTEQ. While NAVTEQ has generally been "better" the gap is getting smaller and smaller. Tomtom users having the ability to correct maps and inform Tomtom/Teleatlas of the corrections pretty much makes every Tomtom user a map surveyor.
Thanks in large part to that teleatlas is getting better faster and will eventually become more accurate (it is already more up-to-date) very very soon...